Infant carseat attachment for pilates reformer

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an infant carseat attachment for a carriage of a Pilates reformer, comprising: a rectangular frame, formed from a pair of longitudinal pieces, the longitudinal pieces coupled together at respective distal ends by a pair of perpendicular pieces; a set of legs extending from the rectangular frame, each leg terminating in a wheel; one or more arms extending from one of the pair of longitudinal pieces, each of the one or more arms terminating in a coupling mechanism, the coupling mechanism operative to removably engage the carriage; a seat belt extending from each of the pair of longitudinal pieces, wherein the rectangular frame is dimensioned to support an infant carseat on the perpendicular pieces and the infant carseat is secured to the rectangular frame by the seat belt.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present specification relates generally to attachments for Pilatesreformers and, in particular, to an infant carseat attachment for aPilates reformer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The following includes information that may be useful in understandingthe present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of theinformation provided herein is prior art nor material to the presentlydescribed or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or documentthat is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

Pilates is an exercise and lifestyle program. One of the pieces ofequipment used is a reformer, which is a moveable platform with variousresistance and attachment options used for performing certain Pilatesroutines.

However, a significant segment of the population engaged in Pilates arewomen with infant children. A challenge is keeping the infant calm whileexercising in order for the mother to perform without distraction.

Therefore, it would be desirable to have modification for a reformerwhich potentially provides for both mother and infant during exercise.

Accordingly, there remains a need for improvements in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is provided aninfant carseat attachment for a Pilates reformer.

According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided an infantcarseat attachment for a carriage of a Pilates reformer, comprising: arectangular frame, formed from a pair of longitudinal pieces, thelongitudinal pieces coupled together at respective distal ends by a pairof perpendicular pieces; a set of legs extending from the rectangularframe, each leg terminating in a wheel; one or more arms extending fromone of the pair of longitudinal pieces, each of the one or more armsterminating in a coupling mechanism, the coupling mechanism operative toremovably engage the carriage; a seat belt extending from each of thepair of longitudinal pieces, wherein the rectangular frame isdimensioned to support an infant carseat on the perpendicular pieces andthe infant carseat is secured to the rectangular frame by the seat belt.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, there is provided akit for an infant carseat attachment for a carriage of a Pilatesreformer, comprising: a rectangular frame, formed from a pair oflongitudinal pieces, the longitudinal pieces coupled together atrespective distal ends by a pair of perpendicular pieces; a set of legsextending from the rectangular frame, each leg terminating in a wheel;one or more arms extending from one of the pair of longitudinal pieces,each of the one or more arms terminating in a coupling mechanism, thecoupling mechanism operative to removably engage the carriage; a seatbelt extending from each of the pair of longitudinal pieces, wherein therectangular frame is dimensioned to support an infant carseat on theperpendicular pieces and the infant carseat is secured to therectangular frame by the seat belt.

For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages,and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is tobe understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achievedin accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus,the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achievesor optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught hereinwithout necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught orsuggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to benovel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in theconcluding portion of the specification. These and other features,aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become betterunderstood with reference to the following drawings and detaileddescription.

Other aspects and features according to the present application willbecome apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review ofthe following description of embodiments of the invention in conjunctionwith the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which show, byway of example only, embodiments of the invention, and how they may becarried into effect, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a Pilates reformer with an infantcarseat attachment according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an alternate perspective view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the infant carseat attachment according to anembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the infant carseat attachment of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a side view of the infant carseat attachment of FIG. 3 withthe legs folded.

Like reference numerals indicated like or corresponding elements in thedrawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to generally to attachments for Pilatesreformers and, in particular, to an infant carseat attachment for aPilates reformer.

According to an embodiment as shown in FIG. 1, an infant carseatattachment 200 is removably attached to a Pilates reformer 110 at themoveable carriage 120 of the reformer 110. An infant carseat 300 may beremovably mounted and secured within the infant carseat attachment 200to allow the infant carseat 300 to move in conjunction with the carriage120 during use of the reformer 110. An alternate view without the infantcarseat 300 is shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the infant carseat attachment 200 is formedfrom a rectangular frame 210 which is mounted on four legs 220 withwheels 230 located at the ends. One of more of extension arms 240 aremounted along the longitudinal piece 212 on one side of frame 210, andeach extension arm 240 has a coupling mechanism 250 located at the endwhich are operable to removably secure infant carseat attachment 200 tothe carriage 120 (see FIG. 1). The infant carseat 300 thereby rests onthe perpendicular pieces 214 of the rectangular frame 210. Theperpendicular pieces 214 may include an adjustment mechanism 216, suchas a rotating screw, which permits adjustment of the rectangular frame210 to accommodate different types of infant carseats 300. Theperpendicular pieces 214 may further be angled slightly upwards ordownwards from the longitudinal pieces 212 to provide improved supportfor infant carseat 300.

Coupling mechanisms 250 may be spring clamps, which can secure to thetop, bottom or side edge of carriage 120. Other types of couplingmechanisms 250 that may be used include screw clamps or lock pins. Thetype of coupling mechanism 250 is determine by the nature of carriage120, as different makes and models of reformers 110 have differentdesigns for carriage 120. For an infant carseat attachment 200 designedto work with different types of reformers 110, a more generic couplingmechanism 250 such as clamps may be preferred. Alternatively, an infantcarseat attachment 200 designed for use with a specific type of reformer110 may use a more specific coupling mechanism 250 such as threadedbolts, screws or lock pins which engage with holes on the carriage 120.

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 5, legs 220 may be detachable and/orfoldable to reduce the space required for transportation and storage ofinfant carseat attachment 200. Where the legs 220 are foldable, alocking mechanism 260 may be included to reduce the risk of the legs 220inadvertently folding during use. The legs 220 may also include a heightadjustment mechanism 265, such as a lock pin, to permit the adjustmentof the height of the infant carseat attachment 200 to accommodatedifferent types of Pilates reformers. Additionally, wheels 230 mayincluding a locking mechanism 280 to lock the wheels 230 from moving fortransport or storage.

In operation, the infant carseat attachment 200 is secured to thecarriage 120 and the infant carseat 300 is placed within the frame 210such that the ends of the frame 210 support the front and back of theinfant carseat 300. A seat belt 270 is then secured over the infantcarseat 300 to prevent the infant carseat 300 from moving or falling outof frame 210 during use.

Thus, while the parent is using the reformer 110, the infant carseatattachment 200 moves with the carriage 120, allowing the infant to viewthe parent from the infant carseat 300, ideally keeping the infant calmwhile the parent is exercising. Additionally, by aligning the infantcarseat 300 with the motion of the carriage 120, the forward-backwardmotion minimizes the disruption to the infant and may further encouragethe infant to sleep while the parent is exercising.

Preferably, the infant carseat attachment 200 is formed from rigid,lightweight materials, such as aluminum or high-density plastics.Alternatively, infant carseat attachment 200 may be provided as a kit ofparts to be assemble. Any mechanisms such a adjustment mechanism 216 andlocking mechanism 260 should be positioned to be out of the reach of achild inside infant carseat 300 during operation.

It should also be noted that the steps described in the method of usecan be carried out in many different orders according to userpreference. The use of “step of” should not be interpreted as “stepfor”, in the claims herein and is not intended to invoke the provisionsof 35 U.S.C. § 112(f). It should also be noted that, under appropriatecircumstances, considering such issues as design preference, userpreferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements,available materials, technological advances, etc., other methods forinsulating, protecting and installing are taught herein.

The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary andnumerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readilyenvisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which areintended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention.Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially thescientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiarwith patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from acursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure ofthe application.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Certainadaptations and modifications of the invention will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art. Therefore, the presently discussed embodiments areconsidered to be illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of theinvention being indicated by the appended claims rather than theforegoing description and all changes which come within the meaning andrange of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embracedtherein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An infant carseat attachment for a carriage of aPilates reformer, comprising: a rectangular frame, formed from a pair oflongitudinal pieces, the longitudinal pieces coupled together atrespective distal ends by a pair of perpendicular pieces; a set of legsextending from the rectangular frame, each leg terminating in a wheel;one or more arms extending from one of the pair of longitudinal pieces,each of the one or more arms terminating in a coupling mechanism, thecoupling mechanism operative to removably engage the carriage; a seatbelt extending from each of the pair of longitudinal pieces, wherein therectangular frame is dimensioned to support an infant carseat on theperpendicular pieces and the infant carseat is secured to therectangular frame by the seat belt.
 2. The infant carseat attachment ofclaim 1, wherein each of the one or more arms are foldable against therectangular frame.
 3. The infant carseat attachment of claim 1, whereeach of the one or more arms are removably secured to the rectangularframe.
 4. The infant carseat attachment of claim 1, wherein each leg ofthe set of legs is foldable against the rectangular frame.
 5. The infantcarseat attachment of claim 1, wherein each leg of the set of legs isremovably secured to the rectangular frame.
 6. The infant carseatattachment of claim 1, wherein each leg further comprises a heightadjustment mechanism to adjust the height of the infant carseatattachment.
 7. The infant carseat attachment of claim 1, wherein thecoupling mechanism is a spring clamp.
 8. The infant carseat attachmentof claim 1, wherein the perpendicular pieces are adjustable relative tothe longitudinal pieces to adjust the dimensions of the rectangularframe to accommodate different types of infant carseats.
 9. The infantcarseat attachment of claim 1, wherein at least one wheel includes alocking mechanism.
 10. A kit for an infant carseat attachment for acarriage of a Pilates reformer, comprising: a rectangular frame, formedfrom a pair of longitudinal pieces, the longitudinal pieces coupledtogether at respective distal ends by a pair of perpendicular pieces; aset of legs extending from the rectangular frame, each leg terminatingin a wheel; one or more arms extending from one of the pair oflongitudinal pieces, each of the one or more arms terminating in acoupling mechanism, the coupling mechanism operative to removably engagethe carriage; a seat belt extending from each of the pair oflongitudinal pieces, wherein the rectangular frame is dimensioned tosupport an infant carseat on the perpendicular pieces and the infantcarseat is secured to the rectangular frame by the seat belt.
 11. Thekit of claim 10, wherein each of the one or more arms are foldableagainst the rectangular frame.
 12. The kit of claim 10, where each ofthe one or more arms are removably secured to the rectangular frame. 13.The kit of claim 10, wherein each leg of the set of legs is foldableagainst the rectangular frame.
 14. The kit of claim 10, wherein each legof the set of legs is removably secured to the rectangular frame. 15.The kit of claim 10, wherein each leg further comprises a heightadjustment mechanism to adjust the height of the infant carseatattachment.
 16. The kit of claim 10, wherein the coupling mechanism is aspring clamp.
 17. The kit of claim 10, wherein the perpendicular piecesare adjustable relative to the longitudinal pieces to adjust thedimensions of the rectangular frame to accommodate different types ofinfant carseats.
 18. The kit of claim 10, wherein at least one wheelincludes a locking mechanism.